title: Ceramides are associated with inflammatory processes in human mediastinal adipose tissue.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ceramides are poorly characterized in human adipose tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate concentrations of different ceramide species in human subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue depots and to determine associations between ceramides and global gene expression profiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concentrations of six ceramide species were determined in plasma and in subcutaneous and mediastinal adipose tissue from 10 overweight subjects (BMI 29.4 ± 4.9 kg/m(2)). In the adipose tissue biopsies gene expression arrays were performed and relationships between ceramides and gene expression analyzed. Immunostaining of the two adipose tissue depots was performed in an independent group of 10 patients. Mediastinal adipose tissue contained significantly higher concentrations (p < 0.05) of all six ceramide species than the subcutaneous depot. Of the six ceramides in plasma, concentrations of only two (Cer d18:1/18:0 and Cer d18:1/22:0) correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with the corresponding species in mediastinal adipose tissue, but there were no significant correlations between ceramides in plasma and subcutaneous adipose tissue. Multivariate analysis identified significant correlations between the total ceramide concentration and global gene expression within mediastinal, but not subcutaneous adipose tissue, according to cross-validation. Gene ontology analysis of genes related to ceramides in the mediastinal depot revealed that genes positively correlated with ceramides were associated mainly with immune and inflammatory categories, while genes negatively correlated with ceramides were associated mainly with lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ceramides in human mediastinal adipose tissue may be involved in inflammation and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gertow
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kjellqvist
authors.affiliation: Wallenberg Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ståhlman
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gottfries
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Werngren
authors.affiliation: Wallenberg Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borén
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franco-Cereceda
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: rachel.fisher@ki.se.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002518:Ceramides / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides
keywords: Adipose tissue; Ceramide; Inflammation